The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

Author: Forgiving the church after sex abuse

October 5, 2012

Author: Forgiving the church after sex abuse

As a young child, Bill Christman experienced the ultimate betrayal. Sexually abused by a Catholic priest, Bill’s life was set down a path of fear, rage, violence, drug abuse and alcoholism to mask the pain.

For Bill, the trauma of his priest’s perverse pleasures had taunted, and then ruined his childhood innocence. Playful boyhood pranks spiraled into patterns of anger, fits of rage, and lawless violence. Alcohol and drugs played their part, pushed him into homelessness, and finally brought him to his knees. Desperate, Bill cried out to God for an answer.

Through AA he stopped drinking, but inner misery cloaked him like an angry shroud. How could he find the peace he craved? A fellow AA member — ironically, a priest — soon became his emotional and spiritual mentor.

Wanting only an apology, and encouraged to go through proper channels within his Diocese, Bill was forced to engage a lawyer. A series of tense, intimidating and seemingly fruitless meetings dragged on but through the support of godly Catholic priests, Bill did the unthinkable: he faced his abuser, released the burden of hate, and received the gift of forgiveness. A visit to the Vatican with his mentor leads to Bill receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a touch from God.

Through it all, this book shines a beacon of hope and encouragement not only for other victims of similar abuse but those faithful Catholics who have had their faith tested by this worldwide scandal. Bill’s prayer is that this book will encourage all who have suffered find their own path to healing.

Special note — Bill Christman will be a featured guest October 4, 2012 on popular Los Angeles Catholic radio Guadalupe Radio at 10:30 AM Central. For more info, please visit www.guadaluperadio.com/site.